The target is to improve the level of the Indian players: Manolo Marquez

India’s newly appointed head coach Manolo Marquez has revealed his target is to improve the level of the players to take Indian football to new heights. Marquez will take over the coaching baton from former coach Igor Stimac and the Spaniard will look to take Indian football to new heights.

The 55-year-old has spent four years in India, coaching Indian Super League clubs like Hyderabad FC and FC Goa and he will look to make the most of his experience of working with Indian players.

Marquez has coached ISL in more than 100 games. The veteran led Hyderabad FC to glory in the ISL in the 2022 season when the Nizams defeated Kerala Blasters on penalties.

Last year, Marquez was in charge of FC Goa and the Gaurs finished the league stage in the third spot, winning 13 out of their 22 matches.

“India is my country after Spain. It is the foreign country I’ve spent the most time in,” Marquez said in a media interaction on Sunday.

“For a long time, I was thinking that maybe one day I would like to coach the national team and I’m here now. I am very happy and it is a dream for me to be the national team coach of India,” he added.

Despite taking over India’s head coach role, Marquez will continue to coach FC Goa in the upcoming season of the Indian Super League.

“It’s true that this situation is not normal, but they are manageable. It’s not the first time that the same person will coach a national team and a club together. There are many examples from the past of this happening in not just foreign countries but India as well.

“The matches are not at the same time. When the national team plays, there’s a break in the ISL, so that can be shared. In the first few weeks, there will be a lot of work. But it’s my passion and I know it won’t be a problem. Obviously, both jobs are about professionalism,” the Spanish tactician stated.

Marquez’s first assignment with the Blue Tigers will be the Intercontinental Cup 2024. The Spaniard revealed that the target is now to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup.

“We will have six, seven games before the first qualifier in March. Let’s see what happens in the first FIFA window before the ISL starts. In this situation, we are playing friendly matches and need to prepare for more important matches ahead. And we can’t forget we need to be in Pot 1 before December’s draw.

“The target now is obviously to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup if we speak about competitions. The target is also to improve the level of the Indian players in this case, to reach the next step individually and as a team. I don’t like to speak about the ranking because sometimes statistics don’t show the true picture,” Marquez stated.